Paul Walter Hauser had previously claimed that Vin Diesel 'mistreats people' on set.
Paul Walter Hauser is offering a heartfelt apology to Vin Diesel after the Inside Out 2 star "shot my mouth off and made a careless, needlessly mean-spirited comment" about the Fast & Furious star.
Hauser, 37, was in the middle of press last month for the new Pixar animated film when a reporter with CinemaBlend compared his character, Embarrassment, to Diesel's performance as Groot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hauser, however, didn't take kindly to that comparison.
"Please don't say that," he told the outlet. "I like to think I am on time and approachable."
Hauser added, "I love people, but when I hear stories about Hollywood actors who get paid really well and mistreat people... I out them constantly, and it's a blast."
Some 10 days after those comments went viral, Hauser is clarifying his stance in a lengthy Instagram caption that quotes a verse from the Bible. Hauser explained that his comment "started somewhat humorous, but unraveled" into him "dogging" Diesel "over behavior I had heard about on multiple occasions from multiple sources."
Hauser and Diesel, 56, have never worked together.
The I, Tonya star said fatigue played a role in him not being careful with his words. He explained that he had done a night shoot on a Friday, had one hour of sleep and then flew to Los Angeles from Atlanta at 6 a.m. to do a full day of press for Inside Out 2.
"I was exhausted and, in my fatigued state, I shot my mouth off and made a careless, needlessly mean-spirited comment," he said.
He added, "Just here to say that I am sorry for having made that comment. I do indeed get riled up by some of the behavior I've witnessed, or heard about, and 'outing' people to any extent can feel momentarily satiating. I no longer feel that way and am genuinely sorry for shooting my mouth off and not showing love to Vin, who I do not know and have never met. It isn't fair of me to make judgments of that kind, and even if some of those things turned out to be true, it is mean to shout them out and playfully attack someone."
To close out his caption, Hauser -- who earlier this year accepted his Primetime Emmy barefoot -- personally apologized to Diesel and even tagged his Instagram handle while praising his work.
"@vindisel - I apologize," he wrote. "Thank you for entertaining so many people and making them happy. I'm trying to do the same. Time for me to be quiet. I sometimes talk myself into idiocy."
Diesel has not publicly spoken out about the diss or the apology.
Diesel has starred in all 10 films of the vaunted Fast & Furious franchise, though he previously had a public back-and-forth with Dwayne Johnson after an alleged feud was triggered following Johnson's introduction to the Fast & Furious franchise in 2011's Fast Five.
The pair, however, seemed to put their past aside when Johnson, 52, returned for a Fast X post-credits scene -- all but confirming that he'll also be back for the 11th Fast film. Johnson will also star in an upcoming Hobbs-focused Fast & Furious movie that will bridge the gap between Fast X and the upcoming Fast X: Part II.
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